Op-eds

The tug-of-war between Iraq and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, over control of the autonomous region’s oil reserves seems to be entering a new phase. On May 22, Kurdish leaders announced that the first shipment of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan had been loaded for sale in Turkey—despite fierce opposition from the federal government in Baghdad, which claims it has the exclusive right to oversee oil exports.

Ankara has previously declared that it would wait until Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had resolved their dispute before “turning on the tap” of Iraqi Kurdistan’s energy exports. What has changed?